True Fatherly Love
by babylove969
Summary: What if Sasuke wasn't the only one to survive the massacre? What if Fugaku had survived as well and now him and sasuke live together. Sasuke is being abused by Fugaku and sasuke doesn't even realise what he is doing is wrong. It's up to Kakashi to help Sasuke and show him what a true father really is. Warning: Child Abuse
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Alright so this is a story about Sasuke and Kakashi in a father/son relationship. Fugaku survived the attack on the Clan and as such Sasuke is different. He's not full of hatred and anger. Instead he's polite and quiet. Sasuke is being abused by Fugaku and is trying his best to hide it. Kakashi becomes suspicious of Sasuke and Fugaku's relationship. Kakashi believes that Sasuke is being abused, but without any solid proof and Sasuke not willing to talk. All Kakashi can do is wait for the day when Sasuke finally comes to him.**_

_**WARNINGS: Swearing and child abuse. **_

Chapter 1

Sasuke woke to the sound of his alarm going off. He was so tired that he didn't want to get up, but he didn't have a choice. He hit the alarm button to turn off the sound before it woke up his father. It was four in the morning and Sasuke knew that his father would be furious with him if the sound woke him up. This was Sasuke's morning routine. He would wake up at four in the morning so he wouldn't run into his father in the morning. Sasuke did everything he could do to avoid any time spent with his father. Now that he was out of the academy he had found that he had more time at home than he did when he was in the academy. Now he would be at home unless he was training or on a mission. Whereas in the academy, he would be out all day long and then at night he could stay late to study or to train. Now that he was no longer in the academy he had more time during the day to be home. It also meant that he had more time where he would be alone with his father. It was that reason why Sasuke got up at four in the morning every day. It was so he could avoid being around his father. Sasuke had a set routine on the days where he didn't have a mission. He would get up at four in the morning get showered and eat breakfast all before his father got up. He would then go to the training grounds and train, sometimes it would be with the team sometimes it would be alone. Once it was four at night Sasuke would be forced to go home and get dinner ready for five o'clock. Once dinner was done Sasuke would clean up and do the chores to keep the house clean, all the while he would be hoping he didn't upset his father. Once the house was clean if he could Sasuke would go out until his father was asleep. He would then come back home and sneak in quietly so he wouldn't wake up his father and then he would go to bed and the next day the process would be repeated. The only time it was different was when he had a mission or his father had a mission. Sasuke would pray for those days where his father would be gone on a mission and he wouldn't have to be afraid all day.

This had been his life since the day his brother killed his family. He was constantly having to live in fear of his father. Everyone had been killed, but his father had survived the cut to his throat. It wasn't as deep as his mother's had been and his father had lived. Before the Clan's death his father would just ignore him, but after the Clan's death Sasuke had been living in hell. His father still ignored him, but he also abused him. He would say hateful words to him, emotionally abuse him by telling him that he should have been killed. He would make him train for days straight without a break of any kind if he felt that Sasuke wasn't fair enough along. He would beat him every other day and it would always be for no reason. Sasuke wasn't stupid he knew he wasn't the problem. He knew he hadn't done anything wrong. Sasuke knew it was his father that had a problem and not him. It didn't matter what Sasuke did it was never good enough for his father. There was nothing he could do that would please his father and Sasuke gave up trying a long time ago. Once Sasuke graduated the academy at top of his class and his father had beaten him that night Sasuke knew there was no point in trying so hard anymore. He was never going to be good enough for his father. He was never going to be Itachi, even after all these years and Itachi killing his Clan. His father still praised Itachi and his skills. Sasuke was never going to be at Itachi's level and that fueled his father's rage more.

Sasuke pushed himself up into a sitting position and his hands screamed with pain. Sasuke had forgotten that he had fallen asleep last night before he could treat his hands. His father was furious with him last night for not having a strong enough punch. He had made him punch a boulder in their backyard for ten hours yesterday. It was ten hours without a break and the only time he wasn't punching the boulder was when his father was punching him. According to his father he wasn't punching properly and he was going to show him how to do it. The problem was Sasuke couldn't punch the same way as everyone else does, because of his wrist that was broken when he was ten. It had never healed properly and when he punched the proper way it hurt his wrist. Sasuke looked down at his hands and saw the dry blood caked onto his knuckles. The back of his hands were black and blue from the bruising. He had cuts all over his knuckles and Sasuke couldn't close them without pain. The next thing his mind registered was the pain to his ribs from the punches his father did to him. His father felt the need to keep showing him how to punch properly by punching his ribs. Now his hands, right wrist and ribs hurt and he had a team training session today. To top it all off he was tired from barely sleeping last night. His ribs hurt so bad that he couldn't get comfortable. His father hadn't hit just his one side he went after both sides so no matter how he moved he was in pain.

Up until this point Sasuke had been able to hide all the bruising from everyone. It helped that his father never hit him in the face. The rest of the bruising could be explained by training and sparring. It had gotten worse since Sasuke had graduated the academy, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. After all since he was seven this had been his life. He didn't know anything else other than this so to Sasuke this was normal. He was used to being in pain and being tired. He was used to being scared all day around his father. He was used to being afraid to go home at the end of the day. He was used to hiding outside no matter what the weather was until his father went to sleep. Whether that was at ten o'clock at night or at three in the morning Sasuke would stay outside until he felt his father go to sleep. Last night his father didn't go to sleep until one in the morning, hence why Sasuke was so tired now. He had barely gotten three hours of sleep and now he had a full day of training ahead of him.

Sasuke let out a sigh and got up out of bed. His body was sore, but there was nothing he could do about that. Sasuke got up and slowly opened his bedroom door and walked quietly down the hall to the bathroom. He didn't want to risk waking his father up so he had learned how to be completely silent while he moved and got ready. The only sound that filled the house was the running water of the shower. Sasuke's hands hurt worse under the warm water, but he needed a shower and he needed to get the dry blood off his hands. Once his hands were clean Sasuke got out of the shower and got dressed. He opened the bathroom cupboard and grabbed the first aid kit. He took out some gauze and used it to wrap his knuckles so at least it would protect them from training. It wouldn't make them better, but it would give them some protection so they wouldn't get infected. He then quietly went downstairs into the kitchen to make something to eat before he headed out. Sasuke opened the fridge to find nothing in it same as the cupboards. He would need to get a few things later on today for when he had to make dinner. For now though he wasn't going to be able to eat anything. Sasuke grabbed a glass and filled it with some water and drank that. If nothing else at least he had some water in him for the day. He put his empty glass into the sink and then headed out for the training grounds. He was going to be early, but he always was. At least this morning he could sit there and just try to relax his sore body. There was no telling what training with Kakashi would be like today so the longer he didn't have to move the better. Sasuke made his way over to training ground three where they always met up to for team training. Sasuke was the first one there, because it wasn't even five o'clock in the morning yet. Naruto and Sakura wouldn't be there for at least another two hours and Kakashi wouldn't be there for at least another five hours.

Sasuke sat down with his back against a tree once he arrived at the training grounds. He closed his eyes and tried to catch his breath. His ribs hurt and the more he moved the more it hurt and made it difficult to breathe. Sasuke had had a broken rib a few times and he was certain that he had at least two of them and three bruised ones. Yesterday was a bad day, but it had been worse in the past. Sasuke was just thankful that his father never hit him in the face. He wouldn't be able to hide those bruises and he would have to come up with a legitimate excuse as to why they are there. Sure training always worked, but people only believe that for so long. Sasuke knew that today was going to be hard to hide this from Kakashi. Kakashi was always so in tuned with him that he just always knew when something was wrong. He would ask about his hands and Sasuke's mind was working on an excuse he could tell Kakashi. Sasuke brought his knees up to his chest and tried to relieve some of the pain to his ribs. Sasuke took some calming breaths to get the pain to subside as his mind went to work on an excuse.

It was seven o'clock in the morning when Naruto and Sakura showed up. Naruto was as loud as always and Sasuke found that he was getting a headache. He hadn't slept much in the past week due to his father not going to sleep until one or two in the morning. Sasuke was hoping that his father would be going away on a mission soon. He hadn't been on a mission in close to a month and that was making his life even worse. His father gets bored; when he gets bored he gets angry. When he gets angry he hits and makes Sasuke's life full of pain. The problem was there was no point in sending someone as strong as his father on a pointless mission. Sasuke was hoping something would come up soon that would require his father's skills so Sasuke could have a break. Naruto was yelling about Kakashi being late and he was getting louder and louder. Sakura was yelling back at him telling him to be quiet and it was all making Sasuke's headache worse.

"Would you two stop yelling." Sasuke said with annoyance in his voice.

"Sorry Sasuke-Kun." Sakura said softly with a slight blush.

"How is he always late? It's been an hour already and he isn't here. He wants us to train yet he can't show up on time. How are we ever going to get stronger if we wait around for him for so long?" Naruto said.

"Kakashi-sensei won't be here for at least another four hours. He's always late you know that. Why don't you and Sakura spar while you are waiting?"

"What too afraid to spar with me Sasuke?" Naruto said teasingly.

"I have a headache and I'm going to use the next four hours trying to get rid of it. So either go spar or shut up before my head explodes."

"Come on Naruto let's spar and you can give me some pointers on my hand to hand combat." Sakura said.

"You want me to give you some pointers?" Naruto asked shocked.

"Um sure it'll give us something to do while we wait for Kakashi-sensei."

"Okay ya sure." Naruto said excitedly.

They went over to the open field and started to spar. Naruto would explain a few moves to Sakura and she would work on them and try to copy what Naruto was doing. Sasuke kept his eyes closed as he fought back the headache that was starting to take over his mind. It wasn't often when he would get a headache, but it was happening more and more now. Sasuke figured it had to do with him being tired. When he really thought about it the headaches started six months ago after that one bad night with his father. His father wouldn't hit in him the face, but he could hit him on the head where no one would see, because of his hair. Ever since then he would get headaches when he was tired, but Sasuke just figured the timing was coincidence. It was a good four more hours before Kakashi showed up beside Sasuke. Sasuke still had his eyes closed trying his best to block out the sun causing more pain to his head. He was also trying not to move so he wouldn't cause more pain to his ribs. He was just glad that Naruto and Sakura hadn't noticed his hands wrapped up, but he knew Kakashi would within a second of being there.

"Hello Sasuke. Why are you not out there with them?"

"Bad headache." Sasuke said with his eyes still closed.

He could feel Kakashi's eyes on him and Sasuke knew that Kakashi would be full of questions in a minute. Kakashi had only been Sasuke's sensei for just shy of six months now. During those six months Kakashi had noticed a few things with Sasuke. One he never spoke of his father only when he was brought up in conversation. He never saw the two outside together and his father never spoke of Sasuke even when he was brought up in conversation. Kakashi knew the whole story about what happened to the Clan. He was one of the ANBU that went into the compound that night. Kakashi was the one that found Sasuke covered in his family's blood in the corner of the room. His mother was dead and his father was just barely alive. Ever since that night Fugaku hadn't been the same and Kakashi didn't know how the relationship between him and Sasuke was like. Kakashi had only known Sasuke for six months now and Kakashi was a little worried about him. It didn't seem like Sasuke was being looked after. Whenever Kakashi saw Fugaku he was never doing anything for the home. It was always Sasuke that was getting groceries and cleaning. Kakashi didn't know what the relationship between the two was like, but he didn't think it was your traditional father son relationship.

Kakashi took notice of Sasuke's hands and saw that they were poorly wrapped. Clearly Sasuke did it and not his father like a normal father would do. Kakashi also wondered how Sasuke's hands got so damaged, because they weren't yesterday when he saw him last.

"When did the headache start?"

"About five hours ago. It'll stop soon."

"You've been getting headaches more and more in the last six months. Have you seen a doctor about it?"

"I'm fine it's just a headache."

"Headaches can be a serious problem especially at your age Sasuke. You need to get that looked at something could be wrong."

"It's nothing Kakashi-sensei. I only get headaches when I'm tired. I'm fine really it'll go away soon." Sasuke said as he opened his eyes to look at Kakashi.

Kakashi could see the pain in Sasuke's eyes. Kakashi knew he was in more pain than he was letting on. Kakashi had been worried about Sasuke with these headaches. They seem to be very painful and happening more and more recently. Kakashi had been racking his brain trying to remember if Sasuke had been hurt on a mission, but he couldn't recall Sasuke hitting his head.

"Why are you tired?"

"Father and I were doing some late night training out in the forest." Sasuke smoothly lied.

"Is that where you hurt your hands?"

"Father used to do it growing up with his father. We went out into the forest late last night and fought. It was so dark I couldn't see so I had to rely on my other senses to fight him. Father had been teaching me how to use chakra in a punch and I missed him a few times and hit a few trees. We didn't get back to the house until very late."

"Did he look at your hands?"

"No he was still sleeping when I left so I wrapped them."

"Why don't I take a look at them? From what I can see they look pretty bad."

"That's okay Sensei my father will look at them later on today."

Sasuke did his best to keep his voice neutral. After all these years he had gotten good at it, but with Kakashi he felt like he couldn't fool him. In the village ever since the Clan's death people ignored Sasuke. Some hated him, because Itachi was his brother and they would bully and beat him up. Mostly though, people didn't even bother to look at him. Sasuke and Fugaku were the reminders of a tragedy and people hated reminders of a tragedy. The ninja respected Fugaku and they left him alone. Sasuke though hadn't earned that respect so he took a lot of the hatred. Sure he had a few friends in Konoha that didn't treat him differently after the Clan's death, but that was only a few and they didn't know anything about his home life. Sasuke always made sure to keep that to himself and he rarely ever spoke about his father.

"Are you sure? I don't mind Sasuke."

"I'm sure sensei. What are we doing for training today?"

"You are not doing anything, but going home to bed."

"Kakashi-sensei I'm fine really."

Home was the last place Sasuke wanted to be right now. He knew his father would be up by now if not soon. Sasuke didn't want to have to deal with his father today.

"You're headache is so bad you can barely keep your eyes open. The sun and noises are making it worse Sasuke. Go home and sleep it off we might have a mission tomorrow and you should be rested for it."

"We might have a mission tomorrow?" Sasuke asked.

"The life of a ninja, at any moment we might have a mission. We never know until we are handed one. Go home get those hands looked at and then get some sleep. That's an order."

"Yes sensei."

Sasuke truly didn't want to go home, but he didn't have a choice. All he could do was hope that his father was in a better mood than he had been the past month. With any luck Tsunade will hand him a mission soon. Sasuke figured he couldn't argue with an order so he would just get home and deal with his father. Hopefully he would be able to sleep sooner rather than later.

"I'll walk you home."

"That's not necessary sensei I can get myself home."

"I'm not letting you walk home like this alone Sasuke. The walk will make your headache worse I'm not about to just send you on your way."

"But Naruto and Sakura…"

"Is there a reason you don't want me to walk you home? Is there a reason why you don't want me to be at your house Sasuke?"

Kakashi expected Sasuke to put up a little fight, but he didn't expect him to have such a problem with him walking Sasuke home. Sasuke never had anyone over at his place and now it seemed stranger than ever.

"What? No of course not sensei, but Naruto and Sakura…"

"Can keep sparring until I get back. That's all I was going to have you three doing today anyways. Now let's go the sooner we leave the sooner you will be at your home where you can sleep and I can be back here."

Sasuke knew he couldn't win no matter what he said and he wasn't about to tell Kakashi the truth. So Sasuke did the only thing he could do he slowly got up and did his best to hide the pain radiating through his ribs. Thankfully Kakashi just thought it was the pain in his head that made him sway slightly. Kakashi placed a gentle hand on Sasuke's forearm to hold him steady.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine sensei."

"Do you ever say how you actually feel? It's been six months and even when something is wrong you tell me I'm fine. When are you ever going to tell me how you actually feel?"

"When the day comes that I'm not fine I guess."

"You can't tell me you're not in pain Sasuke I can see it in your eyes."

"Ninja aren't supposed to feel pain."

"Did your father tell you that?" Kakashi asked with concern.

"The academy taught me that."

"Well in this case the academy is horribly wrong. Ninja feel pain all the time it's not something you can block out like emotions. You need to tell me when you are in pain just like Naruto and Sakura so I don't make it worse. It's too easy to permanently injury yourself by hiding pain Sasuke and at your age it would be a shame for you to never be a ninja again. If something is wrong, if you're in pain you need to tell me so I don't make it worse by training you. Now tell me honestly, how bad is the pain?"

"A four. I get headaches more often than you think, I'm used to it."

"All the more reason to get it checked out by a doctor Sasuke. As well as those hands."

"My father will look at my hands I'm sure he's up by now. And I'll talk to him about the headaches."

"Alright we'll let's get you home then."

Kakashi and Sasuke started to walk off towards Sasuke's home. Ever since that night they haven't been in the Compound. They now stayed in a house just on the outskirts of Konoha. It would be a good twenty minute walk before they would arrive and Sasuke's ribs were already screaming at him. He couldn't let Kakashi know that he was injured elsewhere or Kakashi might think something is wrong between him and his father. Though, he could always use the same excuse as he always does and say that he got attacked by ninja. That had happened a few times and he had used that excuse a good ten times now. Sasuke knew he should be going to the hospital, but they would call his father and that would make him mad. Sasuke was never allowed to go to the hospital unless it was for an emergency and even then he didn't like it. Sasuke knew he had to be very careful how he moved so he wouldn't cause too much pain to himself. It was getting harder and harder to get a deep breath from all the movement and he was thankful that Kakashi wasn't talking.

Kakashi wasn't going to say anything he could see that Sasuke was in pain. He knew Sasuke was in more pain then he was letting on. Why he was hiding it Kakashi didn't know. Kakashi knew when he was assigned this squad that Sasuke would be the hard nut to crack. Naruto was very open about his emotions and what he thought. Sakura was very emotional. Sasuke though, he was very introverted and kept his emotions in check. He wasn't angry like Kakashi thought he would be with the death of his Clan. However, Kakashi figured that had something to do with his father surviving. Its' one thing to survive, but survivor's guilt always tore apart someone especially a young child. With his father also surviving Sasuke didn't have to go through that and he wasn't alone. Though, Kakashi truly didn't know what his relationship with his father was like, but Kakashi was sure if Sasuke needed something he could turn to him. Sasuke was a very sweet child when he wanted to be. He was intelligent and deep. He wasn't a social butterfly, but no Uchiha was. He had a handful, if that, of friends and he kept them at arm's length from what Kakashi had noticed. Even still over the last six months Sasuke had become Kakashi's favorite and that was a well-known fact among the other sensei and ninja. Kakashi did his best to protect Sasuke from the other ninja that would bully him and beat him up. It was never a fair fight. It was always six to one or Jounin level ninja against him. Sasuke never had a chance against them, but he did his best. Sasuke always took care of his injuries at home saying that his father will take care of it. Kakashi had yet to ever see Sasuke in a hospital and Kakashi figured that that was just the way of the Clan. Though, if the injuries were ever severe Kakashi would have made Sasuke gone to the hospital like it or not. Kakashi looked at Sasuke out of the corner of his eye and he could see that he was having some trouble walking. Kakashi didn't know if Sasuke had any other injuries or not, but he was starting to suspect that he did.

"Are your hands the only thing injured?"

"I took a few hits, but I'm fine. It was actually a lot of fun being out in the forest late at night. I really had to rely on my other senses to fight. It was different and very hard."

"That sounds like a great training exercise. Does your father hit you often when you are training?"

"He's not abusive if that's what you're implying."

"I wasn't. I'm curious as to how many times your father hits you while he is training you."

"Sometimes a few of his punches or kicks land on me, but that's because I didn't move fast enough or the right way. Injuries are natural when you're training."

"They are, but when training against someone stronger than you it's that person's job to make sure that injuries don't occur. When I train you I don't hit you. I hold back so I know you won't get hurt by me. Your father should be doing the same."

"Then how do you ever learn to take a hit if you never get hit? He trains me the way his father trained him and his father before that. It's traditional Uchiha training and it's an honor to be trained that way."

"I understand tradition and I'm sure you feel very honored being able to be trained by your father. I just don't feel like a father should ever lay his hands on his children regardless of being trained or not."

"Are you going to say something to him Sensei?"

Kakashi could hear the concern and worry in Sasuke's voice. It was clear to Kakashi that Sasuke wanted him to let this go and for now he would. If the injuries were more severe than Sasuke was letting him know then he would say something. Kakashi was not about to stand by and let one of his students be hurt.

"No I am not going to say anything, but if it gets to be too much for you I want you to come to me. You can tell me anything Sasuke no matter what it is or what time of day it is. I'm here for you and I'll always believe you and listen to you."

Sasuke really didn't know what to say to that. Over the years he just stopped talking about his problems or what was bothering him. He didn't talk about pain or his emotions he just took it all and went about his day. His father never cared about what he was going through or how he was feeling.

"I'll remember that Kakashi-sensei."

They arrived at Sasuke's home a few minutes later. Sasuke was hoping that his father wouldn't be home, but he knew that his father would be. It wasn't often that his father went out during the day or at all really. Sometimes he would go to the bar with fellow ninja and those were the nights Sasuke hated. It always ended up with him being locked outside all night until the next day and that was only when his father woke up and if he was in a good mood. His father wasn't an alcoholic by any means, but when he did drink he was a mean drunk. Sasuke had gotten good at figuring out when his father was going to go out and drink. On those nights Sasuke just wouldn't go home and he would come back the next night. Kakashi walked Sasuke to the front door and Sasuke turned to Kakashi.

"Thanks for walking me home Sensei."

"You're welcome Sasuke."

Sasuke opened his front door and he didn't hear his father up and moving. Sasuke was hoping he could sneak up into his room to sleep. That was thrown out the window when his father's angry voice rang out throughout the house.

"What the hell are you doing back?"

Fugaku came down the stairs and over to the door. His attitude changed when he saw that Sasuke was not alone.

"Kakashi what are you doing here?" Fugaku's voice was not holding as much anger, but Kakashi could hear the annoyance in his voice.

"Sasuke has a bad headache and with his hands from last night I thought it would be best if he took today off. I hope that is not a problem for you."

Kakashi took a quick look down at Sasuke and could see that he was uncomfortable with this situation. Kakashi was starting to wonder what really was going on in this house. Kakashi knew that Fugaku was all about getting stronger and training so Kakashi knew that he wouldn't like Sasuke missing training. However, Sasuke was sick and even Fugaku could understand that.

"I don't like him missing training. Once your headache goes away you are to be in the backyard catching up on the hours you missed." Fugaku said to Sasuke.

"Yes father."

"Get in your room."

Sasuke went inside the door and headed up the stairs to his room. He was getting dizzy from the pain and the headache and all he wanted to do was to lie down and make it go away. Kakashi didn't leave right away he was going to mention Sasuke's hands to see what Fugaku would say about them.

"He works really hard you must be very proud of him."

"Is there something I could help you with?"

"Sasuke's hands look pretty bad, but he seemed to really enjoy the training you both had late last night. He didn't want to go to the hospital to get his hands looked at. I just wanted to make sure that you'll look and treat them. Hands are very key to a Shinobi as you know."

"They'll be taken care of."

"I'll see Sasuke tomorrow we might have a mission hopefully he will be well rested."

"Your job is to train him not his well-being. You would be wise to remember that Kakashi."

"His well-being is my concern. It's my job to train him, but it's also my job to make sure he survives the missions. In order to give him the best chance of surviving his health is key. His hands need to be treated. He needs proper rest so he is awake for missions and training. He can't go with a severe headache. He should have that checked out something could really be wrong."

"His health is my concern not yours. He will go to a hospital when I say he does. Now that we have wasted time, I have things to take care of. Get off my property."

Fugaku didn't even give Kakashi a chance to say anything; he just shut the door in his face. Kakashi knew that Fugaku was cold, but this was the first time he had seen Fugaku not really care about Sasuke. Kakashi's concern for Sasuke's health would normally be welcomed by parents, but Fugaku didn't want any of it. Kakashi started to walk back to the training grounds where Naruto and Sakura would still be. Kakashi was going to keep a closer eye on Sasuke. If his father wasn't taking proper care of him Kakashi needed to know. He meant what he said Sasuke couldn't be going on missions with his hands injured. Kakashi wasn't going to risk permanent damage done to Sasuke's hands, because he got into a fight. His hands needed to be healed and he needed proper rest so he wouldn't be getting these headaches. Even if they were there because of not enough sleep; Kakashi knew Sasuke had easily twenty headaches that he knew about in the last six months. That was far too many for not enough sleep. Sure every person has trouble sleeping, but when a child was having that much trouble sleeping that often to the point where it would cause a severe headache was a serious problem. Kakashi didn't like that Fugaku didn't seem to care about Sasuke's headaches or his hands. Kakashi had a very good feeling that tomorrow he would find that Sasuke's hands weren't taken care of. Not only that Sasuke seemed to be having a hard time moving around and Kakashi was worried about other injuries. Kakashi was going to need to keep a closer eye on Sasuke and see if he can get him to open up to him. Kakashi headed for the training grounds to continue his work with Naruto and Sakura.

Sasuke was lying down on his bed with his eyes closed. His whole rib cage hurt and he was having a hard time getting the pain to subside so he could sleep. He didn't know how his father was going to react and that would all depend on what Kakashi says. Sasuke could feel his body shaking from the pain and he was praying that his father would leave him alone. His hopes were shattered when he heard the front door closing followed by his father's footsteps up the stairs. His door was thrown open causing radiating pain to go through his entire head. Sasuke could see that his father was pissed and he knew Kakashi had said something to upset his father and now he was going to pay for it.

"Your sensei seems to think your health is becoming a problem. What have you been telling him?"

Sasuke knew his father was pissed and that was going to mean more pain for him. Sasuke was really hoping that his father would get a mission soon he really didn't know how much more he could take this. Usually his father had a few missions a month, but this month he didn't have any and it was almost over. The longer his father went without a mission the more frustrated he got and the more pain Sasuke was put through.

"Nothing I swear. He asked about my headache and hands. I told him we were out late last night training in the forest. I said that it was dark and I hit a few trees, that's why my hands are banged up. I told him I was fine, but he insisted that I come home and rest for that day. He said we might have a mission tomorrow and he wanted me to be in good health."

"Your health is none of his concern and you are to not talk to him about it. I don't care what he says you do not talk to him about your health or anything except training. I will not have him poking around something that does not concern him."

"Yes father. I'm sorry."

"You will be. Get your ass outside now."

Sasuke got up off from the bed and he couldn't believe how bad the pain in his rib cage was getting to be. He walked passed his father and headed down the stairs to the backyard. Fugaku followed behind Sasuke out into the backyard and he was going to make sure he didn't hear another word about Sasuke's hands. Yes hands were very important to a ninja, but Fugaku didn't care as far as he was concerned Sasuke was a disgrace. Sasuke stood out in the middle of the backyard as he waited for his father's orders.

"You missed five hours of training. You are going to do five hundred push-ups as a start to making up those hours. You are going to do every single one on your knuckles. If I don't think you did it right you'll do it again. Now start."

Sasuke knew there was no point in arguing with his father. If he did it would just cause more pain to himself. Sasuke went to get down on the grass when his father's voice stopped him.

"On the path, not the grass. You need to learn how to fight with damaged hands. You're already a disgrace, but you will learn to take pain."

Sasuke moved over to the path. He didn't say anything; he knew that what his father said would only get worse. As the time goes by his father would be very verbally abusive towards him. If he was lucky it would only be verbal abuse. Sasuke got down on the ground and in a push-up position. He put his weight on his knuckles that were in a fist on the ground Sasuke could immediately feel the pain. His hands were already killing him and he knew by the end of this he would be lucky if he could move his hands at all. As each push-up went by his hands hurt worse and worse. By the time he had completed all five hundred there were small pools of blood where each hand was. He had blood all over the back of his hands and he couldn't move his hands without extreme pain. Sasuke's ribs felt like they were on fire and he was really starting to wonder if something was seriously wrong this time. He stood up and waited for his father to give him more orders. Only this time he didn't. Instead he just started to punch Sasuke and not just in his torso, but his face as well. Sasuke immediately began to panic as his father continued to attack him. He couldn't hide the marks on his face and he would have to come up with yet another lie to hide the injuries. After an agonizing fifteen minutes Fugaku stopped hitting Sasuke. He was down on the ground and he could feel blood all over his face.

"I have a mission tomorrow morning. I don't want to see you in this house until I am gone. You have five minutes to get that blood off your face and get out of my sight. Go."

Fugaku walked away and left Sasuke bleeding on the grass. Sasuke knew he had only five minutes to get out of the house or he would be in for more pain. Sasuke had to get the blood off his face and get out of here. Sasuke forced his body to get up and he couldn't believe all of the pain that radiated throughout his entire body. He forced his mind to push through it as he made his way into the house and up to the bathroom. Sasuke looked in the mirror and couldn't believe how much blood was covering his face. Sasuke grabbed a cloth and ran it under some warm water to wash off the blood. Everything hurt especially his hands, but he didn't have the time to stop and take in the pain. Once the blood was all off his face Sasuke went back downstairs and out the door. He wasn't going to go very far he was just going to go out into the forest slightly. He was going to wait the night out and then tomorrow when he didn't sense his father's chakra he would go back inside the house. He knew he should show up tomorrow for training or if they had a mission, but at this point Sasuke knew Kakashi wouldn't let him go. He would just tell Kakashi, if he asked, that he got into a fight. That always worked in the past so he was confident that it would work now. Sasuke was dizzy and having a hard time staying on his feet, but he forced his body to go further until he reached the forest. He got to the forest and went into it slightly before he found a good patch of grass and he sat down on it. The darkness was creeping up on him and it was all too soon before he was passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sasuke woke to the bright light of the morning sun. Sasuke's mind came back to the present time and he couldn't believe how much pain he was in. His whole body felt like it was on fire. Sasuke didn't open his eyes, he had a headache and the sunlight through his shut eyes was making it worse. He couldn't imagine how much it will hurt when he actually opened his eyes. His lungs burned when he breathed and Sasuke knew he would need some medical help this time. Sasuke knew Kakashi would come by when he didn't show up for training and at this point he was glad for his sensei. Sasuke couldn't sense his father's chakra in the house so Sasuke dragged himself up and fought to keep the scream from escaping his mouth. He knew he was in a lot of pain, but he also knew he couldn't just lie in the forest all day. He had to get home to his bed where he could sleep. The pain was bad, but he forced his body to push through it and walk the distance to his home. It was agony, but he finally reached the house and was thrilled to not sense his father at home. Sasuke didn't know what time it was, but if he had to guess it was at least eight o'clock in the morning. Which meant that Kakashi and the others would be meeting soon for training or for a mission. Either way when he didn't show up Kakashi would come here looking for him. Once he sensed his chakra inside the house Kakashi would come in just thinking that he over slept or was sick. Kakashi was that kind of teacher; the one that had to make sure his students were okay. If Sasuke was sick Kakashi would want to know how he was doing and what he was sick with. Kakashi was a caring person and at times like this it made Sasuke feel a little less lonely. Sasuke opened his front door and was greeted with silence. His father was definitely not home and away on a mission. Sasuke closed, but didn't lock the front door. He knew for sure that Kakashi would be coming by within the next couple of hours. This way the door would be unlocked for him to enter. Sasuke wanted to sleep in his bed, but he was in so much pain he could barely stand. Sasuke made his way over to the stairs, but the room was spinning and his lungs burned. He got up the first three steps to the landing, but before he could continue on the world finally went dark.

It was nearing ten o'clock when Kakashi had arrived at the bridge to meet his team. Today they had a simple D-Ranked mission and Kakashi knew he was going to be hearing some arguments about it from Naruto. Kakashi could understand where they were coming from. They all were very talented, especially Sasuke. Kakashi knew that the Chounin exams will be in a few months and Kakashi had every intentions of nominating them all for it. Kakashi would be making sure that if Sasuke made it to the final round he would be training him himself. Kakashi had taken a liking to Sasuke and everyone knew it. There was just something about Sasuke that Kakashi couldn't help, but be drawn in by him. Sasuke was quiet and distant; many thought he was cold and a bastard because he didn't talk much. Kakashi knew better though, he had seen Sasuke around the team and around the very few friends that he did have. Sasuke was a quiet kid it happens when there really isn't anyone to talk to growing up. It was just him and his father after the massacre; that alone was enough to change a child. Sasuke was traumatized by it and had never been the same since. It was natural and to be expected. There were a lot of ninja that were jealous of Sasuke's skills and intelligence and as such they often bullied and fought with Sasuke. Sometimes Sasuke would win, but most of the times he wouldn't. You couldn't expect a twelve year old Genin to win against three to six Jounin ninja. It didn't matter who the twelve year old was that was just a losing battle.

Kakashi was still worried about how Fugaku acted towards Sasuke and himself yesterday. He was cold and he didn't seem to care about what Sasuke was going through. Kakashi couldn't understand what father would let their child have severe headaches for six months and not take him to a doctor. Kakashi couldn't understand what father wouldn't tend to his child's wounds. There was no excuse why Sasuke's hands weren't treated before he went to bed, regardless of the time the training ended. Kakashi could also understand training at night it was a great idea, but to do it and then have that child go to training just a few hours later didn't make sense to Kakashi. Training was important for a ninja, especially a growing one, but too much training was going to wear the child out and make the training more difficult. Sasuke can't learn to control his chakra if his chakra is too exhausted to be used. A ninja can't get stronger if they are training their body into the ground every day. They need to give their body the chance to recuperate so they can build stamina and control. Otherwise they will never get stronger, because their body isn't working at one hundred percent.

Kakashi knew that Sasuke's father never wants him to miss any training or missions, but Kakashi was going to see what kind of shape Sasuke was in this morning. If he wasn't in good shape or if Kakashi thought he was too tired then Sasuke wouldn't be going on this mission. Simple D-rank or not Kakashi was not going to push Sasuke past his breaking point. From what Kakashi could tell Sasuke had been running non-stop practically for six months. If Sasuke needed a break Kakashi was going to give it to him. Kakashi arrived at the bridge to find only Naruto and Sakura there. Kakashi also didn't sense Sasuke's chakra anywhere around the area, which could only mean that he wasn't there. Kakashi walked up to the others before he spoke.

"Yo"

"You're late!" Naruto yelled.

"Well you see.."

"No! No more lame excuses about black cats or little old ladies." Naruto cut Kakashi off.

"I was actually going to say I was late, because I was with the Hokage. We have a mission…"

"Awesome I can finally do something with my skills." Naruto cut Kakashi off once again.

"It's D-Ranked and will only take a few hours with your enthusiasm Naruto."

"D-Ranked, but that's for new Genin. Why can't we have another A-Ranked mission like the last one?" Naruto whined.

"We are new Genin Naruto and the last A-Ranked mission we had, Sasuke died for an hour remember." Sakura said.

"Speaking of Sasuke, where is he?" Kakashi asked.

"We haven't seen him since you took him home yesterday." Naruto said.

"Maybe he's still sick." Sakura said.

"Maybe he overslept. He could be having a lazy day." Naruto said.

"Sasuke never has a lazy day." Sakura said.

"You two wait here and I'll go check on him at his home." Kakashi said.

"Great we're gonna be here for another five hours." Naruto grumbled.

"I'll be quick."

Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke and reappeared by Sasuke's house. Kakashi didn't know if Sasuke was sleeping or if he was still sick from yesterday, but he was going to find out. Kakashi meant what he said when he was going to keep a closer eye on Sasuke. Something just didn't feel right to Kakashi and he had learned a long time ago to go with his gut feelings instead of what he sees. Everyone could put on a mask and go outside. It was when they were in the safety of their own home did they ever remove their mask and show their true face. Kakashi didn't know a lot about Fugaku, but from what he heard yesterday he wasn't very caring of Sasuke. Kakashi knew there were many different kinds of abuse. Some were neglectful, some were verbal, some were emotional, some were mental and some were physical. Kakashi had a feeling Fugaku fitted into one of those categories, but he wasn't sure which one Fugaku fit into.

Kakashi knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. He didn't sense anyone, but Sasuke's chakra inside so he knew that Fugaku wasn't home. Kakashi waited for a few minutes but there was no movement. Kakashi knocked again, but once again no movement from inside. Kakashi tried the door and was surprised to find it unlocked, but was happy for that at the same time. Kakashi opened the door and immediately he saw Sasuke passed out at the bottom landing of the stairs. Kakashi ran over to Sasuke not bothering to close the front door. He bent down to Sasuke and called his name.

"Sasuke"

Kakashi gently placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder and while he checked for a pulse. He was relieved to find one, but Sasuke wasn't waking up. Kakashi summoned Pakun and his little ninja hound appeared beside him.

"Boss."

"I need you to go and get Tsunade-Sama and bring her here. Hurry."

Pakun didn't say anything he just took off out the still open front door. Kakashi turned his attention back to Sasuke and called his name again.

"Sasuke come on wake up."

Sasuke let out a groan. He didn't want to come back to the land of the living. He wanted to stay asleep in the darkness where he couldn't feel the pain. As he gained consciousness the pain returned to him. Sasuke couldn't focus on anything, but the pain radiating through his body. Sasuke couldn't help the whimper that escaped his mouth. The pain was so bad and it had been a good six months since he had been through this much pain. Sasuke could vaguely hear his name being called out to him. Sasuke opened his eyes, but regretted it the second the pain hit as the light hit his eyes.

"It's okay Sasuke; Tsunade-Sama is on her way to look at you." Kakashi said gently.

"It hurts" Sasuke said weakly.

Kakashi could hear the pain all throughout Sasuke's voice. Kakashi didn't know what happened or who did this, but he was furious at whoever did this to Sasuke. Kakashi couldn't see a spot on Sasuke's face that wasn't covered in ugly black bruises and cuts. Kakashi could see Sasuke fighting to stay awake and fighting against the pain, but when Sasuke actually admitted to being in pain was when Kakashi knew how bad the pain was. Sasuke never talked about his emotions or what was going on in his life. For Sasuke to admit that he was in pain, then the pain had to be bad.

"It's okay Tsunade-Sama is on her way and she will heal you. Let's get you upstairs into your bed."

Kakashi gently picked Sasuke up bridal style and Sasuke couldn't help the small scream that escaped his mouth. The sudden movement caused pain to go through Sasuke's whole body and Kakashi stood still for a few seconds to give Sasuke some time to adjust to the new pain. Kakashi could feel Sasuke shaking in his arms from the level of pain. Kakashi decided that he should bring Sasuke upstairs and get him onto his bed. Kakashi went up the stairs and carefully as he could so he wouldn't cause any more pain to Sasuke's body. Kakashi didn't know what injuries Sasuke had, other than the obvious ones to his face. Kakashi gently laid Sasuke down on his bed and Sasuke couldn't help the whimper as his body connected to the bed. Kakashi sat down beside Sasuke and started to look him over.

"It's okay Sasuke just breathe. Can you tell me what happened?"

Kakashi started to lift up Sasuke's shirt as Sasuke tried to explain.

"It was late I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk. I was in the forest and on my way back home when I got jumped. I came home, but I must have passed out on the stairs."

Kakashi could hear the pain in Sasuke's voice and he felt bad for making him talk, but Kakashi had to know some answers. Kakashi couldn't believe what he was seeing as he looked at Sasuke's torso. Sasuke was covered in bruising and he knew that some was not from last night. It seems like Kakashi was right about Sasuke having more injuries yesterday than he was admitting to. Kakashi could see two different types of bruising and that only could happen when they were made at different times. Sasuke's hands were also worse and Kakashi wasn't sure if they were broken or not. Something happened and Kakashi was going to find the truth in this, because he really didn't know if he could believe Sasuke right now or not.

"Where was your father when you got home?"

"He left earlier last night for a mission."

"So he didn't see you?"

"No it happened after he left."

Kakashi didn't get to say anything else as Tsunade came into the room. She went right over to Sasuke as she spoke.

"What happened?"

Kakashi got out of her way and she went about healing Sasuke.

"He got jumped last night in the forest." Kakashi said for Sasuke.

Tsunade touched Sasuke's ribs and Sasuke let out a whimper as he closed his eyes. His body was shaking from the pain and it was all getting to be too much for him.

"I'm sorry Sasuke just bear with me for a few minutes. I'm going to heal you so soon you will be in a lot less pain. Just hang on for a few minutes." Tsunade said in a soft and gentle voice.

Tsunade had seen Sasuke around in the past three years. She had been Hokage for three years now, ever since the Third died from an illness. She was appointed the new Hokage and at the time she was not happy about it at all. She knew she couldn't say no though, she was taking over for her Sensei and she was hoping she could make him proud. Tsunade had seen Sasuke at the academy and around the village. Over the last three years she had dealt with a few bullying issues and taken reports from when Sasuke was attacked by fellow ninja. Sasuke was a traumatized and misunderstood kid. Tsunade knew what happened to Sasuke's family so when she became Hokage she kept an eye on him. He was a sweet and shy kid. Many were jealous of him for his natural talents, but she couldn't blame him for that. Everyone is born with talents Sasuke's were just in ninja skills and intelligence. Tsunade could tell from the first time she met Sasuke that he was shy. He was very polite, but he was also very shy. It seemed like he was always afraid to say the wrong thing. Tsunade knew that Sasuke's trauma was still very real and she wanted him to sit down now that he was a ninja with a psychologist. Tsunade needed to know if Sasuke's trauma would be a problem out in the field on missions that were higher ranking.

Kakashi could see that Sasuke was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. Kakashi could see clearly that Sasuke was exhausted.

"It's okay Sasuke close your eyes. We can talk later when you feel better. It's okay go to sleep." Kakashi said softly.

The caring in Kakashi's voice was enough comfort for Sasuke to finally give into the darkness. Sasuke closed his eyes and within seconds was fast asleep. Kakashi watch Tsunade heal Sasuke, but she didn't say anything while she was doing it. Kakashi didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing, but based on Sasuke's injuries Kakashi was leaning towards a bad thing. Once Tsunade was done with Sasuke's torso she moved to his hands. It was then that Kakashi spoke.

"He's been having headaches for the past six months. Some are really bad, would you mind checking to see if there is something wrong?"

"I'll check once his hands are healed."

After a few minutes Tsunade was finished with his hands and she moved her hands up to Sasuke's head.

"He'll need those hands rewrapped."

"I'll do it when you're done Tsunade-Sama."

Tsunade just gave a nod and Kakashi watched as her brow furrowed. Kakashi knew that was a bad sign and he was starting to get confirmation that something was wrong with his student. Kakashi was doing everything he can to stay calm. He didn't want to let his anger show or get out of control before he knew for sure what was wrong and what was going on. After another intense ten minutes Tsunade finally moved her hands away from Sasuke. She pulled his shirt back down and she put the covers over him before she got up and went out of the bedroom. Kakashi followed her knowing that she didn't want to talk about this where Sasuke might wake up and hear them. Kakashi followed Tsunade downstairs before he asked what he was dying to know the answer to.

"How is he?"

"He was in bad shape. I'm still not sure if I want him in a hospital or not. What happened?"

"I don't know. All he told me was that he was jumped last night and he came home but his father left earlier last night for a mission. What were his injuries?"

"Four broken ribs, massive bruising all over, his hands were broken and that is just the injuries from last night. He also had three broken ribs and two fractured ribs as well as bruising that happened somewhere between thirty-five to forty hours ago. I've healed him and he will be fine in a week or two. His father didn't leave last night for his mission he left this morning. The guards at the front gates can confirm that."

"So Sasuke lied about his father not knowing."

"Maybe not he was badly beaten he could have easily been confused about what time it was when he came back here. What concerns me is the two different time frames of those injuries."

"Yesterday Sasuke came to training with his hands wrapped and he had a server headache. I asked what happened to his hands and he told me that he and his father were training late last night in the forest. That it was dark and he punched a few trees. I told him to go home and rest, because of his headache he didn't want to, but he finally agreed. On the way to his home I noticed that he was having some trouble walking and breathing. I figured he might have had more injuries then he was telling me, but I didn't question him. When we got here his father wasn't happy that he was missing training. He told Sasuke that he would be making up the hours in the backyard later. Sasuke went upstairs and again I noticed that he was in more pain than he was telling me. I spoke to Fugaku about Sasuke's health and he told me that it was none of my concern and then slammed the door in my face."

"So those older injuries could have come from the training. Did Sasuke ever mention his father hitting him?"

"I did ask if his father ever hit him while training and he said that he did sometimes. Now Sasuke said that it was never intentional that it was his fault for not moving the right way or fast enough. As you know yourself though, there are ways for a stronger ninja to train someone and not hit them regardless of how fast they move."

"Everyone trains people differently. Some will hold back, but some won't. Some will train their child or students to fight like their life depends on it each and every time. It can be affective I suppose. I don't agree with it, but it's not illegal. Sasuke had bruising and bleeding in his brain. The injuries though are six months old that is why he is getting these server headaches. The injuries happened right around the time of him graduating the academy. I don't ever remember any report being filed that would cause those injuries. Is there something that happened while you were training? It would have been not even a week out of the academy at most."

"We did the bell test, but he didn't hit his head. It was the third day when I first saw him get a headache though, so something must have happened before he graduated."

"No incident was reported during that time. I can double check, but with Sasuke I always remember. He has a lot of reports from being attacked by ninja and bullied. I saw him two months before graduation, but that wasn't physical that was for harassment. I didn't see him until after graduation when I did his paperwork and then when he went on his first mission. He never mentioned anything had happened."

"Could it be possible it happened while he was training himself? Or maybe he fell and didn't think anything of it?"

"No it's not possible Sasuke would have known about these injuries. He wouldn't have known about the bruising and bleeding in his brain, but he knows what caused them. It was a slow bleed, but it was getting worse, that is why his headaches were getting to be more common and stronger. The bruising would have normally healed long ago, but just like any other bruising if it keeps getting hit the bruising just continues on and gets darker. Sasuke hasn't had the chance to let the bruising heal. It's been six months, but during those six months the bruising would have been made worse from any hit to his head or any fall. He's been training, going on missions and fighting so he hasn't been able to let his brain heal. I don't want him on any mission for the next two weeks and then two more weeks after that he will only be allowed on D-Ranked mission where I know he won't get hurt. He can still train, but make sure it's not hand-to-hand training. Work on other things, but make sure there is no chance of him being hit in the head."

"Okay. So he would know what caused the injuries to his brain?"

"Absolutely. The headaches would have started right afterwards not even two days later. He knows what happened to cause this. I don't believe that he knows how serious his injuries were. He probably just figured that the headaches were from being tired or part of growing up. I think I know Sasuke well enough to say that he would have come to me if he thought something was seriously wrong with him."

"He does think the headaches are from being tired. He said that yesterday when I told him he should have it checked out. There is one possibility that we have to look at and that is the chances that Fugaku did this to him."

"That's a very dangerous accusation. Kakashi you know just as well as I do that all of these injuries can be explained. I'm not saying that something doesn't seem right. Fugaku should have done something about Sasuke's hands. He should have done something about his headaches. He should have reported any attack on Sasuke that Sasuke let go. If that was my son being attacked all the time and bullied I would never leave the Hokage's office until something was done. Obviously I have done what I can for the ninja that attack Sasuke, but it doesn't seem to be enough. I have thrown some in jail for a few months, but they don't learn. It doesn't help that Fugaku is never the one to report it or really say something to them. He could put an end to a lot of it if he just spoke to the ninja; however, he doesn't want to get too involved. He believes that Sasuke should fight his own battles. That's just how Fugaku was raised you know that better than anyone."

"So we just ignore it? His injuries can be explain I understand that, but Fugaku knows that to. It doesn't rule out the possibility that Fugaku is abusing Sasuke. We can't just turn a blind eye to this."

"I'm not saying we do, but in order to arrest Fugaku for abuse we need undeniable proof and Sasuke to confess to it. To take Fugaku to court for child abuse is going to take a lot. Sasuke would have to testify about the abuse, we would need solid proof that those injuries came from Fugaku and not some other ninja or training. Fugaku is the last of our Uchihas and powerful. Danzou will not want to throw him in jail very easily. Fugaku holds a lot of power and respect in the village there can't be any room for doubt or this could turn bad. Not only that if Fugaku is found not guilty Sasuke will be awarded back to his custody where if he is abusing him could very well get Sasuke killed. This is not something that can be rushed Kakashi."

"If he is abusing Sasuke it's not something that we can just wait around for. "

"I understand that. I'm not ruling this possibility out I'm just saying all of our ducks have to be in a row before we start taking them down. Keep an eye on Sasuke. Fugaku is gone for at least a week. Talk to Sasuke get him to open up. Talk to some of his friends and see what they have to say about Sasuke's home life. Take a look around the house for any sign of a fight. Keep calm and think clearly. If Fugaku is abusing Sasuke we will only get one shot at putting him in jail. In order to do that every bit of evidence has to be solid. I will document and report Sasuke's injuries. From now on if he seems to be in pain or you think he has more injuries don't let it go. Make him show you and make a note of them all. Then report it back to me."

"Alright"

"I know this isn't what you want to hear, but like I said if this is Fugaku we only get on chance at this. It has to be perfect and that will take time. Keep a close eye on Sasuke especially when Fugaku gets back. You also need to watch for head injuries. If you see him hit his head or get hit to his head bring him to me and I will check him out. Once a person has a bleed or bruising it becomes easier to get it again. At his age it would be a shame for him to get brain damage. Keep a close eye on his head injuries and make sure he understands the seriousness of the situation. Any kind of hit to his head I need to check him out for at least the next year. His brain needs a longer time to heal then the rest of his body."

"I'll make sure he understands and if need be I'll tell him he can go to you or me and no questions asked. I want to know the truth, but I don't want him hiding injuries to avoid questions."

"I don't either. I would rather heal him and know that he is alright then him hiding it all from us to avoid any questions or conversation. Now for your mission I want you to stay here with Sasuke. Iruka is off today I will have him supervise the rest of your team."

"They are at the bridge waiting for me."

"I'll let Iruka know. I'll tell him that something has come up. I'm sure he won't mind. Let me know if he changes his story when he wakes up."

"I will and thank-you for coming."

"Keep a close eye on him and I will try and give Fugaku more missions if it seems like he is the one causing the injuries."

"Ok"

"I better go find Iruka before your team thinks they are off the hook."

Kakashi gave a nod and Tsunade left the house. She closed the door behind her and she took off to find Iruka. Kakashi decided to do some snooping while Sasuke was asleep. He went into the kitchen first and started to open the cupboards. Kakashi found dishes, pots and pans. He went over to more cupboards and saw that they were all empty where food would usually be. Kakashi went over to the fridge and that was empty as well. There should have been food in this house, but there wasn't. A normal father would have made sure his child had food in the house while he was away on a mission. Kakashi went into the living room and took a look around. He didn't see one picture of Sasuke on any of the walls or the mantle. Not a single picture of Sasuke in the whole place. Kakashi had a picture of Sasuke, but his own father didn't. Kakashi thought there would be one from his academy graduation at least. Kakashi headed over to the backdoor window. He didn't know what he was looking for, but he wasn't going to stop looking until he searched the whole house. Kakashi looked out the backdoor window and could see something on the path. Kakashi opened the sliding door and stepped outside. He went over to the path and could see blood. Some was scattered, but there was two small pools of blood on the ground. Kakashi looked around and he could see a boulder on the other side of the backyard so he went over to it. The boulder looked like someone had been punching it and there was dry blood on it. Kakashi was now starting to get the real picture about what happened to Sasuke's hands. Kakashi went back inside and this time he went up the stairs.

Kakashi made his way into the bathroom first and he immediately saw a bloody cloth on the counter. The blood was from last night based on the color, which means Sasuke was attacked and cleaned up the blood off from his face. The question was did Fugaku do it and Sasuke cleaned up before he left. Or did Sasuke clean the blood off his face last night and went downstairs for some reason. Kakashi didn't know all he knew was that Sasuke was passed out at the bottom of the stairs going up. Kakashi went down the hall into Fugaku's bedroom. Once again there were no pictures on the walls of Sasuke. Nothing in the house even gave an outsider a clue that a thirteen year old lived here. The only indication of a child living here was Sasuke himself. Kakashi looked around, but he didn't see anything useful at all in Fugaku's room. Kakashi decided he would look around Sasuke's room while he was asleep. Kakashi knew he would need to be quiet; he didn't want to wake Sasuke up. He also didn't want Sasuke to wake up to him snooping around his room. Kakashi went in slowly, but Sasuke was still sound asleep in the same position that they had left him in. Kakashi also knew he would need to rewrap Sasuke's hands and he would do that shortly. He wanted to look around real quick, before he went to his apartment to get his camera. He wanted to take pictures of the blood and of Sasuke's injuries. Kakashi went over to Sasuke's desk and looked through the papers on it. There wasn't much there just old academy papers. Different seals that Sasuke was obviously trying to teach himself. Kakashi opened the desk drawer and inside was just some paper and pencils. Kakashi moved over to the dresser, but all he found was clothes. There was nothing on the walls, no photos, no drawings, nothing to show who Sasuke was. The room was very tidy and clean, it didn't even feel lived in. Kakashi moved to the nightstand by the bed. He opened the small cupboard and inside he found some drawing books and pencils. Kakashi opened the one book and was surprised at the hand drawn artwork that was inside. If Sasuke was in fact the one to draw these pictures he had a real talent. Kakashi put the book back and closed the small cupboard. He then opened the top drawer and inside he found more notebooks. Kakashi grabbed the one on top and found something disturbing. Inside on the top right hand corner was a date; it was just three months ago. Each line was full of the same sentence over and over again. 'I am worthless. I am nothing.' Kakashi flipped through the book and the same thing was written on every single page. The only difference was the date at the top right hand corner. Kakashi grabbed the other three books in the drawer and they all held the same thing. It went back as far as six months. Kakashi put the books back and closed the drawer. Kakashi didn't know if Sasuke wrote them on his own or if Fugaku had made him do it as a punishment. Either way it had to of been affecting Sasuke's confidence and mental health.

Kakashi placed the books back into the drawer and closed it. He didn't want to leave Sasuke, but he needed to go home and get his camera so he could document all of this. He also wanted to go and grab some groceries for Sasuke and speak to three friends. Assuming they weren't out on a mission. Kakashi was certain Sasuke would be asleep for at least a good six hours. Kakashi decided he would leave now and then come back and wait for Sasuke to wake up. When he came back he would also rewrap Sasuke's hands once he took pictures of the damage. Kakashi left Sasuke's bedroom and headed down the stairs. He would go to his place first to get the camera and then he would speak with Sasuke's friends before he got some groceries. Kakashi's mind was still going a mile a minute as he made his way over to his home. He couldn't believe that he never noticed Sasuke's injuries during the past six months and Kakashi was sure there had been previous injuries. The more he thought about it the more he realised that every time he saw a new bruise on Sasuke, Sasuke always said it came from a fight. Kakashi knew that Sasuke was bullied; it was a very well-known fact in Konoha. Kakashi always took it at face value and now it was coming back to bite him in the ass. If Sasuke was in fact being abused by Fugaku Kakashi was not going to turn a blind eye. He understood Tsunade's point about not jumping the gun and arresting Fugaku too early. Kakashi didn't want Sasuke to be stuck with his father until he turned eighteen when he could live on his own. The problem was Sasuke wasn't the type of person to talk about his personal life or about his emotions. If Sasuke was being abused it has been going on for a long time, which will make it even harder to get Sasuke to talk about it. Kakashi wasn't going to give up and he meant what he said. If he had to have a no questions asked policy with Sasuke then so be it. Kakashi would rather have Sasuke healthy then hiding his injuries out of fear of questions.

Kakashi reached his apartment and grabbed his camera before heading right back out. Kakashi was going over in his mind where he would be able to find one of Sasuke's friends. The three of them usually hung out together so with any luck he would find them together. Kakashi didn't know if they had any missions recently, but they were all on a different squad so he might get one or two. Kakashi headed down to the training grounds where he thought they might be. When Neji was not on a mission he was like Sasuke and was constantly training. Shino would join in with him and the two would spar. Shikamaru was lazy as hell and would just lie in the grass while his two friends sparred. Sure enough when Kakashi arrived at the training grounds Neji was training while Shikamaru was lying in the grass. Kakashi didn't see Shino anywhere so he figured he must be on a mission or elsewhere. Either way Kakashi was glad he could speak to two of Sasuke's three friends.

"Yo" Kakashi said as he waved a lazy hand in the air.

Neji stopped what he was doing and turned to face Kakashi. Shikamaru, who was laying down in the grass, turned his lazy head to look at Kakashi.

"Kakashi-Sensei, what can we do for you?" Neji asked.

"I was hoping I could talk to you both about Sasuke." Kakashi answered honestly.

That caught Shikamaru's attention. He stood up and him and Neji walked over closer to Kakashi.

"What's wrong?" Neji asked.

"Is he okay?" Shikamaru asked.

"Not really, no. He's at home asleep right now, but last night he was attacked and badly injured. Tsunade-Sama healed him, but he won't be allowed on missions for two weeks."

"Did he say who did it?" Shikamaru asked.

"The conversation never got that far. He was in a lot of pain and he had some serious injuries. I was hoping maybe you two would be able to shed some light on this situation for me."

The two looked at each other before Neji answered.

"We don't know anything about this." Neji said defensively. Sasuke was his friend he wouldn't go and cause him pain.

"I know you both don't know who this was. You are two out of the three of Sasuke's friends. I know you wouldn't hurt him. I was just looking for some information about the bullying and his home life. Sasuke has been my student for six months, but he isn't very open about what has been going on. I was hoping you two might be more willing to share."

"It's his life and his story. We're not ones to gossip." Shikamaru said.

"And I understand that. Sasuke is a private person I get that, but if something is wrong how can you both stand there and not say anything?"

Neji and Shikamaru looked to each other. They were both in a silent conversation, a silent debate. They had talked about this before. They both knew something was off with Sasuke and his father. It was when he was younger, the things he let slip, the comments he made. They had always wondered, but Sasuke never spoke about his private life. It was rare when he spoke about his father at all; even when he was brought up in conversation Sasuke would always change the subject. To others they took it at face value. Sasuke was a shy and private person you couldn't fault someone for that. To Shikamaru, Neji and Shino they saw that the privacy went to a whole new level. Even with his closest friends, Sasuke never spoke about his life. He spoke about ninja training and anything ninja related, but never anything personal. They had seen a few bruises, a few marks on Sasuke's body that didn't fit with his story. They had never overly questioned him about it; they knew he wouldn't tell them no matter what they said. They had silently questioned the safety of his relationship with his father was. He never seemed to care about Sasuke at all. It was always Sasuke doing all of the house work and shopping. It just wasn't a traditional relationship.

"They just don't have that traditional father/son relationship. Sasuke doesn't talk about his father and when he is brought up in conversation he changes it. We never see Fugaku going for groceries or paying bills, it's always Sasuke. Sasuke trains all day and he does the cooking and the cleaning. He takes care of everything while Fugaku doesn't do anything. It's not traditional, but that doesn't mean something is wrong." Shikamaru said.

"But" Kakashi said.

"But there have been a few times where we've seen some bruising or injuries that don't match his story. He trains a lot, but to have bruising on his arms doesn't make sense. He gets bullied so they could have come from a fight and he just didn't want to tell us. He's always been like that since he was seven. Sasuke's very private and it's hard to tell if something bad is happening in that house or not. He really won't talk about it and anything that we have seen could be explained by training or bullying." Neji said.

"The problem is even if Sasuke was being abused or neglected he would never admit it. That's just how Sasuke is. Growing up he used to say things about his home life. He told us how he was tired from being up all night cleaning, things like that. He always thought it was normal, until he realised that it wasn't. Ever since then he doesn't talk about it." Shikamaru said.

"Do you think his father is abusing him?" Neji asked.

"I'm not sure. Sasuke said he was attacked last night after his father left for a mission, he went for a walk. Tsunade said that his father didn't leave until early this morning for the mission. There's just some inconstancies with his story that give me cause for concern. If he mentions anything at all to either of you or Shino please let me know, even if it doesn't seem important." Kakashi said.

"We will and we'll let Shino know as well." Shikamaru said.

"Thank-you. I'll let you get back to training and cloud gazing."

"I was meditating." Shikamaru said.

"Sure you were." Neji said skeptically.

Kakashi gave them both a smile as he walked away. He was going to go to the grocery store to get some food for Sasuke before he headed back. Kakashi didn't know what was going on in that house, but he wasn't feeling any better after speaking with Shikamaru and Neji. Kakashi knew that Sasuke's father was in the very least being neglectful of him. It was the parent's job to do the grocery shopping; it was the parent's job to help with cleaning and cooking. It was a parent's job to keep their child safe and to look after them when they were hurt and sick. Sasuke's father didn't do any of that. If that was Kakashi he would never have left the Hokage's office until something was done about the bullying. Fugaku didn't care though and he left Sasuke to try and deal with it himself. Kakashi wasn't going to pressure Sasuke to the point where he pushes him away, but he wasn't going to let this go. He was going to keep a very close eye on Sasuke until he had enough proof to confront Sasuke with. If Fugaku didn't want to be a father to Sasuke than Kakashi had no problems stepping up. Kakashi went to the grocery store and picked up a few things before he headed back to Sasuke's house. Once there he put the few things away in the fridge and cupboard before he took his camera out. He went outside first to take the pictures of the blood on the ground and boulder. He then went inside to take pictures of the bloody cloth. He finally went into Sasuke's room to find him still sound asleep in bed. Kakashi went over to the nightstand drawer and pulled out the most recent notebook. He took pictures of a few pages before he put it back in its' place. Kakashi then turned to Sasuke's battered body. He took pictures of all his injuries including his hands before he finally put the camera away in his pocket. He then went and grabbed the first aid kit so he could redress Sasuke's hands. Tsunade was able to heal him, but his hands were still cut up and bruised. Kakashi sat down on the side of the bed and took out some anti-biotic cream. He gently rubbed some on Sasuke's right hand before he wrapped it in gauze and then a tension wrap to help hold it in place. Once his right hand was taken care of he moved on to Sasuke's left hand. Once both of Sasuke's hands were taken care of Kakashi returned the first aid kit to the bathroom. Kakashi then went back into Sasuke's bedroom and pulled up a chair to sit and wait for when Sasuke would wake up.


End file.
